BK's behemoth new American Brewhouse King is a real whopper

BK's behemoth new American Brewhouse King is a real whopper

This week, I reached out for an American Brewhouse King, the newest addition to the King Family (remember them?) at everybody’s No. 2 burger barn, Burger King, with 16,550 restaurants circling this crazy blue marble.

This behemoth burger is BK’s tie-in with Budweiser, the “King of Beers.” Get it? The Brewhouse King … the King of Beers … Burger King. It all makes sense, except for one detail: there’s no beer or alcohol in the Brewhouse King. It’s merely “inspired” by Budweiser, and an excuse to bring back Bud’s famous “Wassup” catchphrase. You think it was dumb back in 2000?

Here’s the American Brewhouse King breakdown: two quarter-pound-plus beef patties, three half-strips of thick-cut bacon, crispy fried onions, tavern sauce, American cheese, and creamy mayonnaise — on a sesame seed bun.

Whew! That’s a ton of everything, practically an all-day stockpile of calories, fat, and sodium. And that’s before you tie down the bundle with fries and a drink. Even the price has some serious avoirdupois: $6.19 for a drive-through burger. There are sit-down restaurants with real glasses and silverware that charge less for a burger … and throw in complimentary fries and a drink.

Here’s where I usually drop a tip — if you say “no mayo, please,” you’ll put a big dent in the calories and fat damage. Mayo is pretty much a shmear of worthless fat. Overrated. But when a burger is boasting 1,550 calories and 126 fat grams, holding the mayo is like taking a teaspoon of seawater out of the Atlantic Ocean.

The American Brewhouse Burger’s hook is sheer, over-the-top heft. It really does take two hands to handle this whopper (lowercase) of a double burger. It starts with more than a half-pound of Burger King’s signature, flame-grilled beef. The patties are less greasy than burgers cooked on a flat top grill at other chains.

This isn’t Budweiser’s first fling with fast food. Bud’s a fickle beer. Two years ago, the brewery partnered with Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s on their Budweiser Beer Cheese Bacon Burger. That concoction actually had some beer flavor infused in the cheese. With Burger King, Bud is merely an innocent bystander, simply lending its name.

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Ken Hoffman reviews a new fast food restaurant item every Wednesday. Have a suggestion or a drive-thru favorite? Let Ken know in the comments or on Twitter.